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John Madison Chidester (1809-1893)
}} Biography Early Years John Madison Chidester’s father died when he was only six months old, so John spent his infancy in the home of his grandparents. After his mother remarried, John moved to Michigan with his new (and larger) blended family. As a young man, John was apprenticed as a millwright and carpenter. When he was 20, John married Mary Josephine Parker. The young couple bought property in Summerfield Township in 1831, and their first son was born that December. Zions Camp Participant One of the most interesting episodes in the early history of LDS Church was the march of Zion's Camp (1834). The members of the Church in Missouri were being persecuted, and the Prophet Joseph made it a matter of prayer and received a revelation on February 24, 1834. The Lord instructed the Prophet to assemble at least one hundred young and middle-aged men and to go to the land of Zion, or Missouri. (See D&C 130:19–34.) Zion’s Camp, a group of approximately one hundred and fifty men, gathered at Kirtland, Ohio, in the spring of 1834 and marched to Jackson County, Missouri. By the time they reached Missouri, the camp had increased to approximately two hundred men. In the summer of 1832, John heard the preaching of Elders Joseph Wood and David Patten. He was soon baptized into The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He was ordained an elder the following year. In 1834, word came that the Prophet Joseph Smith was organizing a group of men to march to the aid of the Saints in Missouri. John and his family immediately headed to Ohio. About 60 miles outside of Kirtland, John, Mary, their two-year-old son, and their three-month old daughter joined Zion’s Camp. Missouri Persecutions After the march, the small family settled in Liberty, Missouri, where they were subjected to the typical persecution. Two children were born during the next few years, and both died from exposure and malnutrition. John was captured and sentenced to death by hanging for supposedly stealing a horse. John was indignant at the charges, and he boldly informed the mob he would “lay out” the first person who touched him. The mob surprisingly decided that such a brave man should be set free! John was ordained a Seventy in 1837, and he also served as a bodyguard for the Joseph Smith. John was with the Prophet on that fateful day in 1838 when he was betrayed into the hands of the enemy. He also heard the Prophet majestically rebuke the prison guards for their foul language. When the Saints were driven from Missouri, John moved his family to Quincy, Illinois, and then Commerce (later called “Nauvoo”). John fulfilled a mission in 1842. The family had several happy years there: three children were born, John served a mission to Michigan (baptizing his mother), and he was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Nauvoo Legion. John also continued protecting the Prophet—once hiding him in an apple cart! John was eventually set apart as one of the Presidents of the Fifth Quorum of the Seventy. Shortly before leaving Nauvoo, John and Mary received their endowments in the temple. Migration Westward When the Saints headed west, John was asked to loan his wagon to Ezra Taft Benson and remain behind, which he did. He built a ferry in Montrose and assisted Saints in crossing the Mississippi River. He later moved to Council Bluffs, Iowa, where he built a grist mill, wagons, carts, and temporary living quarters for other immigrants. He also added two children to the family. In the summer of 1850, John and his family crossed the plains. Upon reaching Utah, they wintered in Salt Lake, moved to Bountiful, colonized in Palmyra and Spanish Fork, ranched in Parley’s Canyon, and finally served in the Cotton Mission of Southern Utah. They endured grasshopper plagues, Indian wars, blizzards, malaria, and more. And they were happy as only the Saints of God can, John served as Mayor in Palmyra and as Presiding Elder in Spanish Fork. To his great delight, John was asked to help build the St. George Temple. He did much of the hand carving of the balustrades, the interior work, and the doors. John was active in gathering family records and enjoyed participating in ordinance work once the temple was finished. Marriage and Family John married Leah Jane Thompson, a pregnant teen, in January of 1857. When Leah died, Mary cared for the boy. Nearly a decade later, John married Anna Charlotte Eldridge. References * (Compiled by Rhonda Seamons in July 2006. Updated in May 2014.)